Nick Boucher
Canadian | birth_date = | birth_place = Leduc, AB, CAN | career_start = 2003 | draft = 280th overall | draft_year = 2000 | draft_team = Pittsburgh Penguins | image_size = 200px | former_teams = Basingstoke Bison Elmira Jackals Muskegon Lumberjacks Pee Dee Pride Sydney Bears Tilburg Trappers Wheeling Nailers Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins }} Nick Boucher (born December 29, 1980) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for the Fort Wayne Komets of the Central Hockey League. Playing career Boucher started his career playing for the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BCHL in 1997. Midway through the 1998-99 BCHL season, Boucher was traded to the Fort Saskatchewan Traders of the AJHL. Boucher would later commit to Dartmouth College, where he became the starting goaltender. Although Boucher would only win 8 games in his freshman season, the Pittsburgh Penguins made him their final pick of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, choosing him 280th overall. Boucher's totals would improve in his remaining years with Dartmouth, winning 16, 9, and 17 games respectively. Signing to play with the Penguins farm team, Boucher would start his professional career with the Wheeling Nailers, the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, with a late season recall to Pittsburgh's primary minor league affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins of the AHL . Boucher would record 20 wins in his rookie season and was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team. Due to the NHL Lockout of 2004-05, many pros that would normally have played in the NHL chose to play in the AHL, forcing pros in the AHL down to the ECHL. As a result, Boucher was left out of the Penguins plans and he became an unrestricted free agent Boucher would remain in the minors for several years, playing in Pee Dee (Florence, SC), Elmira and Muskegon before traveling to Europe. Boucher would split his 2006-07 season between the Basingstoke Bison of the EIHL and the Tilburg Trappers of the Eredivisie in the Netherlands, where he won his first championship. He would return to North America for the 2007-08 IHL season as a member of the Fort Wayne Komets. With the exception of an 18 game stint with the Sydney Bears of the Australian Ice Hockey League, Boucher has remained with the team, being named the team's MVP in the 2008-2009 season, the IHL's Goalie Of the Year and First Team All Star, as well as runner up for the league MVP (winner was Todd Robinson). He has since won 3 championships with the Komets. Awards *2003-2004: ECHL All-Rookie Team *2006-2007: Eredivisie Champion *2007-2008: IHL Champion *2008-2009: IHL Champion *2008-2009: IHL First All-Star Team *2008-2009: IHL Goaltender of the Year *2009-2010: IHL Champion Records *1999-2003: Dartmouth College, career saves (2,803) *1999-2003: Dartmouth College, career wins (50) *2000-2001: Dartmouth College, single season saves (867) References External links * * * Category:Cowichan Valley Capitals alumni Category:Fort Saskatchewan Traders alumni Category:Basingstoke Bison players Category:Born in 1980 Category:Canadian ice hockey players Category:Elmira Jackals (UHL) players Category:Fort Wayne Komets players Category:Muskegon Fury players Category:Pee Dee Pride players Category:Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Category:Wheeling Nailers players Category:Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players Category:Sydney Bears players Category:Dartmouth Big Green players